


Connection

by daisychainsandlaughs



Category: Backstreet Boys, Popslash
Genre: M/M, Slash, Voyeurism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 06:47:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6184816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisychainsandlaughs/pseuds/daisychainsandlaughs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Howie takes notice of the developing connection and relationship between Brian and Nick and wants to be a part of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Connection

He could admit it, but only to himself. He was jealous of their relationship. It started out as friendship, but to Howie, now seemed like something more. 

Nick and Brian interacted with each other in a way that Howie only wished he could interact with someone else. Of course they had their average best-friend qualities like sharing inside jokes and working out out meticulous pranks to pull on the others, but there was a connection between them that surpassed that. 

Nick and Brian could communicate with one another purely by giving a certain look. Brian could lift his eyes towards Nick in a certain way and Nick would hold his gaze for a period of time (one time Howie timed them for 27 seconds straight), nod his head knowingly, and get up to do whatever it was Brian had communicated. Their connection went deep.

It wasn’t that Howie didn’t have friends. AJ, Kevin, Brian, and Nick were his best friends in the whole world. Howie was closest with AJ since he’d known him the longest, and they did everything best friends did—laughed, talked about girls (or rather Howie listened to AJ talk about girls), and even cried together. But it wasn’t quite the same relationship as what Brian and Nick had. 

Howie couldn’t pinpoint it, but he wanted it. 

Brian and Nick also touched and hung over each other in the most casual, yet intimate way Howie had ever witnessed. The two could not keep their hands off one another and at times were literally connected at the hip. They always sat with their thighs touching or Nick would plop onto Brian’s lap, with his arms around Brian’s shoulder and rub his hair and neck as if it were nothing. To Howie those small touches seemed like everything.

Howie was fascinated. And he was jealous.

Always the one most uncomfortable being touched, Howie had grown a reputation as being somewhat reserved. For reasons he couldn’t explain, Howie had a guarded personality. It wasn’t that he didn’t laugh or joke or have fun, but he just couldn’t let down those walls and be as carefree as Nick and Brian. He wished he could be the person to wrap AJ in a big hug for no reason or lay on the couch with his head in someone’s lap while watching tv. He wanted to so badly, but at the same time it felt so forced. Plus he couldn’t just out of nowhere start being the touchy-feely guy. That would be weird.

***  
Howie watched as Nick and Brian played video games. Nick let himself slump lazily next to Brian and after a while, tilted his head to rest on Brian’s shoulder. He wasn’t sleeping, just enjoying being close to Brian while they played. 

Howie tried to take mental notes. The first seemed to start with a subtle show of affection. He could do that. Howie thought he’d try it with Kevin since he was nearby. He awkwardly fidgeted to sit closer to Kevin as the older man read and slowly tilted his head over until Kevin noticed Howie awkwardly leaning over and he jumped, hitting Howie’s head with his shoulder. 

Howie immediately sat up, “ouch.” He rubbed his head.

“Sorry, you startled me. What’s up? You ok?”

“I’m not sure…It was a test.”

Kevin lifted an eyebrow at him before going back to his book.

Nick giggled, having witnessed the whole experiment. “You’re such a dork, D.” He smiled a goofy smile and Howie couldn’t help but smile in return. Nick’s gaze lingered on Howie for a few seconds before he turned back around and settled back into Brian’s side.

*** 

A few days later, Howie witnessed something that gave more support to his suspicions about Nick and Brian’s relationship.

They were at sound check waiting around for some mic issue to be resolved. Kevin talked with an engineer and AJ danced around the stage showing off his ballet moves while Nick and Brian scurried away and hid behind a stack of amplifiers.

Howie watched as the two whispered to each other. When Nick leaned over to whisper to Brian, Nick grabbed the older man’s arm and pulled him in for a quick, chaste kiss. They pulled apart, smiled, and continued whispering, completely unaware of their spectator. 

Howie quickly turned away, lest he get caught spying. His stomach did a flip at the intimate contact. He was sure he wasn’t meant to see that. Nick kissed all of them all the time, but it was usually by surprise and much sloppier than the kiss he gave Brian. And definitely never on the lips.

Howie walked over to AJ, stopping him after a graceful leap.

“Nick just kissed Brian.” He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to tell AJ. Possibly so he could get confirmation that something was really going on between Nick and Brian and so Howie wouldn’t feel like he was going crazy trying to figure it out.

AJ gave the opposite response to what Howie wanted, “So what? Nick kisses people all the time. He kissed me like two days ago.”

“But it was on the lips.” He emphasized the last word. Howie needed to stop. He sounded crazy even to himself.

AJ raised his eyes in another “so what” look. “And? I’m pretty sure we’ve all kissed each other on the lips at some point.” Howie wasn’t so sure about that, but he let AJ continue. “Are you jealous or something? Want Nick to plant you a big sloppy one? I’m sure he would if you ask him nicely.”

Howie rolled his eyes and let AJ get back to his dancing. He suddenly felt like the only sane one. How could the rest of them not notice the sparks flying between Nick and Brian? Howie felt guilty for the overwhelming feelings of jealousy as well as the underlying arousal that small kiss had incited in him. 

He glanced over to see if Nick and Brian were still whispering behind the amps, but they had wandered back to the main floor. They sat side by side on the edge of the stage talking in funny voices, doing their normal-best-friend routine. Nick glanced back and gave Howie a wink. 

He wanted that wink to be serious; to be a real form of flirting, but couldn’t let himself get his hopes up. Nick was always messing with him anyway. He shook his head and pretended to pay attention to Kevin’s conversation with the engineer.

*** 

Travelling overnight meant being cramped on the bus arguing over what movie to watch. After nearly an hour of disagreement Kevin decided to call Kristin and thirty minutes after that AJ gave up arguing and went to bed.

Which left Brian, Nick and Howie alone. 

“So D, what will it be? Terminator or Mission Impossible?”

Howie wasn’t a big action movie fan but he was past the point of caring. 

He shrugged in his chair, “It’s up to you.” No one ever went with his movie choices anyway. 

“Alright! Terminator it is!” Nick jumped and put the movie in the player. 

Nick snuggled onto the couch next to Brian, letting an arm drape casually over his stomach. Howie briefly stared at the blatant intimacy but looked away before they could notice him watching. 

Out of the corner of his eye Howie could see that every so often one of them made a movement to touch the other. Nick yawned and ran his hand up Brian’s chest, and Brian stretched only to let his arm slide around Nick and scratch the younger man’s back. 

At the small movements, Howie found himself unable to concentrate on the film. He tried to keep his eyes on the movie while also trying to watch Nick and Brian touch one another. Howie desperately wanted to join them on the couch and be a part of the snuggling; be a part of the intimacy and have that powerful connection with another person. 

After a while Nick appeared to have fallen asleep and the constant action in the film had Howie nodding off. He always fell asleep during movies, which is probably why the others never took his movie suggestions. 

A sudden movement had Howie flitting his eyes open. The film was over and the only sound he could hear was the constant hum of the moving bus. 

Howie moved his eyes to settle on Nick and Brian and he barely held back a moan at what he saw. Nick had shifted so was practically sitting in Brian’s lap with Brian’s hands playing at the hem of Nick’s shirt, baring a strip of flesh. The two younger men were kissing and it was much more intense than the kiss Howie witnessed earlier on stage. 

Howie didn’t dare move in case they noticed he was awake and watching them. He also didn’t want them to notice he was incredibly turned on by what he was seeing and stop what they were doing.

He watched as Nick moved to bite and kiss at Brian’s neck. Brian tilted his head to give Nick better access and curled one fist into Nick’s shirt and the other into his hair.

Howie’s heart pounded and he could not keep his eyes off the sight in front of him. He had curled up in the chair when the movie started and his limbs ached to be unfolded, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself by moving. 

Howie only managed to keep quiet until Brian inhaled sharply as Nick reached down to lightly brush over where his cock has tented his pajama pants. Two heads immediately turned to Howie when the moan he had been holding back finally escaped his lips. 

The three sat in silence for a moment. Howie thought he should get up and excuse himself to his bunk but his limbs felt numb and he was frozen to the spot. 

Nick flashed his eyes at Howie and gave him one of his devious grins that were normally saved for photo shoots. Brian, refusing to open his eyes, gave a small sigh when Nick continued rubbing him through his clothing.

Howie felt Nick’s eyes burn into him as Nick snaked his hand down the front of Brian’s pants. When Brian grabbed at Nick’s wrist, Howie couldn’t tell if he was protesting or encouraging Nick, but whatever his intention he quickly dropped his hand and lifted his hips to let his pants slip down enough to bare the head of his cock.

Brian seemed to be holding back, likely due to Howie’s presence and the other guys sleeping just feet away in their bunks, but the proximity apparently wasn’t enough for Brian to want Nick to stop. Nick didn’t seem to mind at all. 

Nick’s hand never stopped moving over Brian’s cock. He stroked slowly and occasionally stopped to lightly squeeze or rub his thumb over the leaking tip. 

Nick whispered something into Brian’s ear and Brian let go and began thrusting his hips to meet Nick’s hand. Howie slowly moved into a sitting position to get a better look. 

When Nick wasn’t kissing Brian’s open, panting mouth he whispered words of encouragement and kissed along his jaw and neck. Brian’s hand grabbed at the cushion and the other was bunched tightly in Nick’s shirt.

Howie’s own cock ached in his pants. He wanted to touch himself so badly but was afraid that if he moved then Nick would tell him to leave or Brian would force Nick to stop. 

Suddenly blue eyes were on Howie and Howie heard Nick breathe out his name. Nick sped up his motions along Brian and Brian’s entire body shuddered as he came over Nick’s hand. 

“What did you think, Howie?” Nick panted, clearly aroused by the situation, “He’s beautiful isn’t he?” 

Brian sighed a small laugh at Nick’s words and closed his eyes as he let his head rest against the couch. He cracked one eye open at Nick and in a goofy voice said, “I thought you were supposed to be the beautiful one.” Nick just laughed and kissed him. 

Howie tried to form words but they came out as a croak. He had just witnessed one of the most erotic scenes in his whole life and here they were cracking jokes at one another. He tried to nod his head but wasn’t sure if his body actually went through the motion. Nick seemed to understand and gave him a wink as he stood up, bringing Brian up with him and pushing their bodies together for one last kiss.

“Night Howie,” Nick said as he led Brian back to the bunks.

“Goodnight Howard. Lets do it again sometime,” Brian yawned back at him.

When Howie was finally able to move again, he went into the bathroom and tried to keep quiet as he quickly jerked himself off. "Lets do it again sometime" played over and over in his head. They had no idea how much he wanted it to happen again.


End file.
